Anesthetic



Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENTVOFFICE ms'ma'rro Frederick E. ,Guntrip, Santa Barbara, (hill.

No Dram.

' 8 Claims.

. l rial No. 61,958, filed February 1, 1936, and Serial No. 124,469, filed February 6, 1937, both entitled Anesthetic.

Some common volatile anesthetics, such as ether and chloroform, are frequently mixed with alcohol; the alcohol serving as a preservative.

The alcohol, however, while being beneficial as a preservative is considered detrimental to a certain extent, to the patient. In other instances,

etherhas been mixed with oil in the form of an emulsion. However, the emulsion produced is unstable and separation or stratiflcation takes place shortly.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved anesthetic which is more stable and which will retain its properties indefinitely without the use of alcohol as a preservative and which will not be subject to decomposition nor to the separation or the ingredients as in the case of emulsions.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved anesthetic wherein fire and explosion hazards associated with the use of ether and some other volatile anesthetics are either avoided or at leastgreatly reduced.

It has also been customary with the use oi. a

volatile anesthetic such as ether to apply it internally, that is, in the colon of the patient. When so used, the anesthetic is mixed with an oil such as 'olive oil, soy bean oil, or other vege- 40 table oil, the ratio frequency being three parts of anesthetic to one or two parts of oil. Such a mixture or emulsion when applied internally, for instance in the colon, has certain disadvantages.

, A certain quantity of anesthetic must be administered tothe patient but when the necessary amount of oil is added to the required amount of anesthetic the volume 01' the resulting mixture is in excess of the amount that the colon can retain, causing a quantity of the mixture or emulsion to be expelled during an operation and necessitating the use of a syphon tube. Another disadvantage of the mixture of anesthetic with oil is that it must be freshly prepared to assure its maintaining a state of emulsion, for in a relativeiy short length of time the oil and ether Application June 3, 1937; 89118! N0. 146,244

separate. The mixture herein described main tains indefinitely its state of solution once the solution is brought about and does not require further agitation or manipulation. It is, there fore, another object cf this invention to associ- 5 ate a volatile liquid anesthetic with a small percentage of an agent which is not only a natural anti-oxidant for the anesthetic but which, when used in conjunction with the anesthetic in place 01 the oil, will occupy a very small volume with 10 respect to the volume of the anesthetic. In this way, all 01' the advantages of the mixture or emulsion of oil and anesthetic are secured without materially increasing the volume of the anesthetic. r

A further object of the invention is to combine with the volatile liquid anesthetic an agent that controls the volatilization of the anesthetic to substantially a constant rate so that in administering the anesthetic by inhalation, the use of 20 cones is eliminated and in administering the anesthetic by colonic absorption the use of a funnel and its accompanying rectal tube as well as the syphon tube is eliminated, and when the anesthetic is completely volatilized the resi- 2 due remaining consisting of the stabilizing agent is a chemically inert substance which will not be absorbed by the tissues of the body. In this manner it the anesthetic is internally applied the residue remaining after volatilization or absorp- 30 tion of the anesthetic need not be removed but may be allowed to remain to be expelled from the colon in its natural course.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my in- 35 vention consists in" the improved composition hereinafter described and claimed. I take absolute ether and add chemically pure shredded coagulated latex or caoutchouc, which is a refined product derived from latex and bring these in- 40 gredients together in a suitable airtight container. The mass is allowed to macerate for from one to four days at atmospheric temperature and pressure. The length of time required '4 varies with the atmospheric temperature. I have observed that maceration of the latex or caoutchouc by the ether is more rapid during warm weather than in cool weather. The latex or caoutchouc thus becomes completely dissolved 50 in the ether. The latex however is chemically inert towards the ether and serves as, a stabilizer and a natural anti-oxidant, thus preventing the ether from decomposing and controlling the rate of its volatilization. The rate of volatilization is 56 naturally-slower than it the latex or caoutchouc were not present.

Therelstiveproportionsoiethertolatexor the colon or is to be applied over severe wounds. it is maintained in a liquid iorm. The percentoi latex or caoutchouc to ether ordinarilyshouldnctbelessthanil'k norshould it exceed about 20%. The percentage of latex much less than where oil is used and can consequently be received in the colon without diillculty. when the anesthetic has volatilised or has been absorbed by the blood stream. the remainder is pure latex or cautchouc which need not be removed butmay be subsequently expelled naturally.

Where the anesthetic is in the iorm oi a jellylihe substance or semi-solid. the rate oi volatiliaation is kept constant or substantially so and the ilre or explosion haaard is greatly re-.

duced. It is possible to administer the anesthetic in this iorm by inhalation, direct irom a bottle or Jar containing the same without the use oi cones.

In both iorms oi the invention, that is, either liquid or semi-solid, the composition will keep indefinitely without decomposition ii kept in closed containers. In the preferred forms of the invention the liquid anesthetic contains approximately l% oi latex or caoutchouc while the jelly or semi-solid contains approximately 30% by weight.

Various changes may be made by those skilled in the art in the details oi my invention without departing irom the spirit oi the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. An anesthetic comprising coagulated latex (or caoutchouc) dissolved in a volatile liquid anesthetic 2. An anesthetic in the iorm oi a jelly or semi-solid comprising a volatile anesthetic associated with coagulated latex.

3. An anesthetic in the iorm oi a jelly or semi-solid comprising coagulated latex and a volatile liquid anesthetic. the coagulated latex being present irom 20 to 33%, percent by weight.

4. An anesthetic in the form of a jelly comprising ether and coagulated latex.

5. An anesthetic in the term 0i a Jelly comprising ether and coagulated latex, the coagulated latex being present in approximately by weight.

6. An anesthetic in the iorm oi a liquid comprising a volatile liquid anesthetic containing less than 20 percent oi coagulated latex in solution therein. a

7. An anesthetic in the form of a liquid containing approximately 10 percent coagulated latex by weight in a volatile liquid anesthetic.

0. An anesthetic in the iorm oi a liquid containing ether and coagulated latex or caoutchouc.

' FREDERICK E. GUNTRIP. 

